Colder
by Winter-sama
Summary: Beckett is sick and Castle takes care of her. Pure fluffy goodness - very little plot for the time being.  I upped the rating because I realise that every now and again, there's a bad word :o
1. Chapter 1

**disclaimer: They're not mine – I'm just torturing them for a bit ;)**

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_I'm so cold. Why is it so cold in here? Why can't I get warm?_  
Kate Becket wrapped her arms tightly around and hunched down in her seat, trying to get warm, but she was still shivering fiercely.

"Are you okay?" a voice whispered from behind her.

"I'm fine," she ground out through her chattering teeth, "I ju–just c–can't seem to get warm," she turned to Castle, sitting in his usual chair, who was watching her with concern.

His expression turned to shock when she faced him. Her lips were blue from the cold and she was shaking uncontrollably as her body tried to warm her up. "No. You are most definitely not fine. You need to go home" he stated as though speaking to a child. He knew she would argue, but he had already decided that he was hearing none of it – she just didn't know it yet.

"I'm fine, Castle" she insisted, making a conscious effort to stop her teeth from chattering, as though that would convince him that she was, in fact, just fine. Hearing nothing from him, she turned back to face her computer, trying to focus on the paper work that needed to be completed, as though, if she focused hard enough, her body would also come to the realisation that she was, indeed, healthy.

Suddenly, she felt a heavy weight around her shoulders, her mouth opening in shock when she realized that Castle had not only gotten up from his chair, but that he had removed his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

"Thanks, Castle..." she whispered, thinking she had won this battle and that he would let her stay at the precinct. Despite the heavy jacket that now sat on her shoulders, Becket found that she still didn't feel any warmer. She couldn't feel her hands or feet anymore, and her head was starting to feel like it was filled with ice. She couldn't think straight. Something wasn't right. _Why is the world spinning like that?_ she mused to herself. It was almost amusing, suddenly, and she let out a small giggle.

"Beckett?"

She tried to answer that she was fine, again, but she couldn't seem to figure out which Castle was the one she was supposed to answer. This too, suddenly seemed funny and she giggled again, this time, swaying dangerously in her seat.

"That's enough, my dear Detective. I am taking you home and that's final," Castle finally put his foot down and stood to help her up from her desk, but had to support her a great deal to prevent her from falling down. Somewhere inside her fogged mind, Beckett was horrified at the scene they created as they stumbled out of the precinct to her car – where Castle helped her into the passenger seat before coming around to the driver's side and pulling out of the parking garage.

Her embarrassment, however, took a back seat to her own exhaustion and illness, and before they had even driven a block, she was sound asleep, though still shivering. She didn't wake again until she felt a hand in her coat pockets.

"Kate, I need your apartment keys," he said softly when he felt her body stiffen in his arms. Rather than jump out of his arms and insist that she was fine, as he had expected, she simply pointed to the top of the door frame, where she kept her spare key before relaxing and going back to sleep against the warmth of his chest, her shivers lessening for the first time since she started feeling ill that morning.

The fact that she hadn't fought him since they had left the precinct was beginning to seriously worry Castle. Kate Beckett did _not _let anyone do anything for her if she could do it herself. That she had let him take care of her in such a dramatic way spoke to how sick she might actually be. For the first time, he began to consider taking her to the hospital. As if sensing his intentions, the woman in question opened her eyes, looked him straight in the eyes, fevered green meeting anxious blue. Something in her look made him reconsider, though she never uttered a word. He knew she hated hospitals and decided that unless she got substantially worse, he would stay and watch over her and hope that she got better on her own.

Slowly he made his was up to her bedroom, where he carefully placed her on her bed. The sudden movement and the lack of warmth from his body jolted Beckett back to full alert as she struggled to free herself from his arms.

"Hey, shhhhhh," he spoke calmly brushing her hair back from her face until she met his eyes and regained her bearings.

"Castle?" she asked, somewhat slurred, somewhat weezed, as though she couldn't quite draw a full breath.

"Kate," he whispered, stroking her sweaty hair off of her forehead, "we need to get you changed and you need to rest."

Beckett nodded mutely, like a small child, doing as she was told. Feeling like he was intruding but knowing that she couldn't rest in her street clothes, he went to her chest of drawers and pulled out an oversized t-shirt that would easily cover her to her knees. Bringing the change of clothes back to the bed, he saw Beckett still sitting there, teetering slightly. After removing her gun and badge and placing them in the top drawer of her dress, _so she can't shoot me, _he thought ruefully. He helped her to unbutton her blouse and slipped the t-shirt over her head. Once it was on, he unclasped her bra from the back, and then helped her to put her arms through the holes. Though it didn't seem like much, all the effort seemed to be exhausting for the detective, who was again shaking like a leaf.

"Kate," he began softly, feeling bad for what he had to do next, knowing that she could hardly sit, let alone stand, but sighed, "you're going to have to stand up so that we can take your pants off."

"Still trying to get into my pants, Castle?" she weezed, trying to stand.

"Always, my dear Detective," he smiled slightly, glad to see that she still held on to her sense of humour. His smile immediately dropped from his face when she tried to stand and her legs gave out. Castle barely caught her before she hit the floor. With her leaning heavily on him, he managed to unzip her pants and slide them down her ridiculously long legs from under the t-shirt. That done, he pulled the blankets back with his free hand and gently laid her down, pulling the blankets back up to her chin.

"Thank you," she whispered quietly, before sleep overcame her.

"You're my best friend," he answered the sleeping form in front of him, "and I love you, but you already know that."

With Beckett asleep, Castle began to pick up the bits and pieces of her clothes and threw them in the laundry basket, thinking how much more he would have enjoyed such an action under entirely different circumstances. _Not that she would ever let me_, he though with a grimace.

That done, he went to the kitchen to fill a bowl with cool water, and picked up a small cloth from the linen closet. He needed to get her fever under control. By the time he returned to her bedroom, she was awake again, and muttering something under her breath.

"So, so warm...too warm, I'm too hot," she muttered again and again, trying to throw the heavy quilts off her fevered body.

Castle sat down next to her on the bed and forced her to lie back down, though she struggled a little at first, muttering about a sea of fire. Once she was lying, he pressed the cold cloth to her forehead, then ran it over the rest of her face, neck, and the exposed part of her chest She seemed to calm down a little, and her eyes fluttered closed again. He continued to try and keep her cool for the next hour or so, stopping when her breathing began to even out, and she seemed at last to be in a real sleep.  
Exhausted himself, he stretched out at the foot of her bed and fell asleep.

It was dark outside when Castle woke up again. He wondered at what had woken him up, but soon realized that the bed was shaking. He sat up quickly when he realized that it was Beckett's shivering that was shaking the bed, that, and she seemed to be crying quietly.

"Kate?" he started, his voice brimming with concern, "What is it Kate? Why are you crying?"

"Because," she answered quietly, shaking, "because I'm hot, and I'm cold and I hurt and it won't stop, and, and, and..." she trailed off, shaking her head back and forth against the pillow, as though trying to shake something off.

"Where does it hurt, Kate?" he asked her, taking her face between his hands, afraid that she might hurt herself more.

"Everywhere...nowhere...I don't know, I don't know, make it stop, please make it stop," she begged, more sobs wracking her already distressed body.

Castle didn't know what to do. She was clearly getting worse, and he once again considered bringing her to the hospital. Remember once when Alexis had been sick with the flu, he gathered the frail shaking body into his arms, rocking back in forth, trying to sooth and comfort the detective. She responded by wrapping her arms tightly around his waist and let herself be rocked back to sleep like a small child. Soon, the shaking lessened, and the sobs quieted, and Castle was quite sure that she had fallen asleep again. He tried to lie her back down, but discovered that her grip around his waist was not one to be reckoned with. Conceding defeat, he laid down with her, and pulled the blankets over both their forms. _If she's not better in the morning, I'll bring her to the hospital_, he promised himself before falling asleep again with her in his arms.

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**Please review, it makes it worth writing if you actually know that people are reading it.**

**Now don't we all wish we had someone like that to take care of us when we're sick? I know I do...::sighs::**


	2. Chapter 2

**First of all – WOW. You guys are freaking amazing. I have been completely and utterly blown away by your wonderful reviews. I just couldn't believe the response I got – and as a reward, here's your new chapter –though I had planned on updating last night. Sadly for you guys, though happily for me, I was invited to go snowboarding instead – sorry! It was too good to pass up.**

**Now that I've got my fix though!...**

**Disclaimer – yada, yada, y'all know the drill. If I actually owned them, I'd make a point of keeping Nathan Fillion around at my beck and call….sadly, I don't and I can't. :'(  
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**Chapter 2**

_Castle didn't know what to do. She was clearly getting worse, and he once again considered bringing her to the hospital. Remembering once when Alexis had been sick with the flu, he gathered the frail shaking body into his arms, rocking back in forth, trying to sooth and comfort the detective. She responded by wrapping her arms tightly around his waist and let herself be rocked back to sleep like a small child. Soon, the shaking lessened, and the sobs quieted, and Castle was quite sure that she had fallen asleep again. He tried to lie her back down, but discovered that her grip around his waist was not one to be reckoned with. Conceding defeat, he laid down with her, and pulled the blankets over both their forms. _If she's not better in the morning, I'll bring her to the hospital_, he promised himself before falling asleep again with her in his arms._

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It was still dark when Castle once again felt himself being pulled from his sleep, his first conscious thought being that his ass, for some reason, was buzzing. The second realisation to creep into his still sleep-addled brain was that there was a very warm body still wrapped around and lying on top of him.

_Beckett_.

After a few more seconds of complete confusion, he realised that his phone was ringing from his back pocket. Carefully reaching underneath his body, he pulled the phone free of its resting place.

"Hello?"

"Dad? Where _are_ you? I've been worried sick! Why didn't you call? Are you ok? Is Beckett ok? What's going on? Dad?"

"Alexis?" he cut off his daughter's worried barrage of questions, "What time is it?" he mumbled quietly, still trying to get his bearings without waking the sleeping woman in his arms.

"It's three in the morning, Dad!" she continued, her voice having come down only an octave or so, hearing that her dad was, indeed, still alive and well, but still laced with worry and annoyance that he hadn't called her like he usually did when he was going to be very late.

"God, Alexis," he began, finally coming fully awake, "I'm so sorry, sweetie. I must have fallen asleep."

"Are you still at the station?"

"No, I'm at Beckett's."

The enormity of his words didn't hit him until after he spoke them aloud.

The cautious excitement in his daughter's voice, however, did not escape him. "Why are you at Detective Beckett's place?"

"It's not what you think, honey. She's really sick and I took her home, but I didn't feel right leaving her here alone. I'm so sorry that I didn't call, I guess I was a little distracted and – "

"Is she ok?" his daughter's now worried voice cut him off.

Not wanting Alexis to worry anymore than he had already caused her to, he quickly reassured her that he was sure it was just a bout of the flu and that Beckett would be just fine a couple of days. Satisfied by his answer, Alexis assured her dad that he should stay with Beckett and make sure she got better. Yawning, she hung up with his promise to call her with an update the next day.

After hanging up with Alexis, Castle took stock of the detective, who was thankfully still sleeping in his arms. What he saw, however, did little to reassure him. Her face was flush and her hair was plastered to her head with sweat. Her body against his was burning hot, and for the first time, he realised that they were both soaking wet. Despite his words of assurance to his daughter, at that moment, he found himself extremely concerned.

With his phone still in his hand, he decided that it was time to get a second opinion.

"Hmellow?"

The sleepy voice that answered reminded him that it was still quite late – or really early, depending on your outlook.

"Hi, Dr. Parish? It's Castle," he began quietly, trying not to wake Beckett.

"Castle?" she exclaimed, her voice now completely alert at the unexpected voice on the other end of the line. "Why are you calling me at….3 AM?"

"It's Beckett, she's sick and I'm not sure what to do," he cut her off.

Squelching her annoyance and becoming concerned, Lanie had him describe all of her symptoms before assuring him that it sounded as though Beckett had a bad bout of the flu. After instructing him to get her fever down and keeping her rested and hydrated, she promised him that she would be by in the morning to check on both of them.

"Both of us? But she's the one who's sick!" he asked, confused.

"Yeah, and now you've been exposed," she stated flately, "I'll come by in the morning with food and some drugs, but for the time being, I'm glad that you're there with her."

"Lanie?" he asked tentatively.

"Yeah, Castle?"

"Thanks."

Having hung up with the medical examiner, and feeling a modicum of relief, Castle was now faced with the task at hand. He knew he couldn't leave her in her sweat soaked clothing and sheets, but he was truly loathe to wake her up, knowing that she needed her rest. Feeling her forehead though, he realised that he needed to get some Tylenol into her system at the very least, to get her temperature down. And for that, she needed to be awake anyways.

Shaking her shoulders gently, he whispered her name and was relieved when she opened her eyes, staring at him groggily, though he could still see the glaze of her illness.

"Castle?" she croaked out confused.

"Hey there," he started softly, "how are you feeling?"

Unlocking her arms from their death grip around his waist for the first time, she tried to raise her hands to her face to rub at her eyes while trying to get her bearings, but found the effort to be too much and just let them drop back down unto the bed.

"Like death," she ground out softly, shivering slightly now that she was no longer attached to the warm body in her bed.

"I think you have the flu," he explained to her, "we need to get some medicine into you for the fever and we need to change your clothes and the sheets. You can't sleep in here like this."

He heard her groan something, but couldn't make out the words as a sudden cough seized her system causing her to sit up quickly from the force of the hacking. Worried, though seizing the opportunity, Castle sat up with her, rubbing her back gently through the coughing fit. Once it abated, he got up from the bed, and, coming around to her side, scooped her up and brought her to the living room.

"Put me down, Castle," she muttered, though her words lacked their usual force. He set her down on the couch, wrapping the throw that adorned the back of it around her now shivering body.

"I'm going to get you some water and some Tylenol, and then I'm going to change your sheets, but first –" he turned on his foot and went back into the bedroom for a new oversized t-shirt, "do you think you can change into this while I do that?"

"I'm not a child, Castle," she protested weakly, "I can dress myself, you know."

He smiled a little, glad to see her stubbornness alive and well, even if severely weakened by her illness. That she had yet to comment on his presence or asked him to leave, however, surprised him. That said, he wasn't going to bring it up if she didn't.

Seeing her start to struggle out of her soaked t-shirt, he went to the kitchen to get the required supplies and to give her some privacy. He was glad to see when he got back that she had managed to get into the dryer clothes, though the effort had seemed to have exhausted her completely and she appeared to be asleep again on the couch.

"Kate," he spoke softly, touching her shoulder, her eyes opening again, "here, you have to take these."

After she complied, drinking the whole glass of water and closing her eyes again, Castle returned to the bedroom to set about changing the sheets. That done, he returned to the living room, picked up the sleeping detective and returned her to her now dry bed.

Feeling achy and tired himself, Castle turned to go and bunk down on the couch that he had just liberated her from when he felt a hot, dry hand clutch his own.

"Stay."

That one word was all he needed.

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**Since I'm terrible at replying to reviews, I'll try and address some of your questions here :)**

**Beckett NYPD: **lol – done and done. :)

**Bella Paige: **I likely won't have that written into the story for a couple of reasons – some of them are primarily dramatic – another is b/c I've never actually been in the hospital and have no idea how it works or what it's like – and I don't want to write something that I don't know anything about :)

**slightlyobsessedHaylz: **I'm glad you thought it felt authentic! I have some very good (or bad, depending on how you look at it) personal experience with the flu!

**Youdude: **first – you made me laugh and you're right – 24 (now 27) reviews definitely means I owe you all a new chapter! And it's true – we do tend to make Beckett the one who's sick…or in general, the woman – I think part of it (though it flies in the face of feminism) is that we still like that old 'knight in white armour' bit on some level– also – I'm writing it this way, I think, b/c I'm a woman and not-so-secretly would LOVE my own personal Castle to take care of me when I'm sick….to quote a recent episode…it's all very meta :p

**Thank you all again for your wonderful reviews! Chapter 3 is already in the works so keep 'em coming! =)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello my wonderful readers and reviewers! Once again, I remain stunned and utterly in awe of all of your wonderful reviews! I was so inspired by all of your wonderful words that, while I had initially intended for this chapter to be split into two, I felt that you guys deserved to get the whole thing in one shot of amazing Casketty-goodness!**

**I hope that this chapter satisfies the requests of many of my reviewers - I won't go into specifics as to which request that was since I don't want to spoil the story - but I think you guys will figure it out ;)**

**I have to admit too though, that I was quite inspired by the previews for the upcoming episode! What's got two thumbs and is CRAZY excited for episode 3X13? THIS GIRL!**

**Disclaimer: Y'all know the drill! If I actually owned them, I would probably never share! :)**

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**Chapter 3**

The next morning, Castle woke to find Beckett lying awake, seeming to watch him sleep, though she didn't show any change in either her gaze or expression upon finding him awake now too. It wasn't until he reached to feel her forehead that she seemed to notice for the first time that his eyes had opened, and she started a little at the unexpected contact.

"Hey," he whispered, "how are you feeling?"

"A little better," she answered, though the hoarseness of her voice betrayed her illness.

"That's good," he smiled in encouragement, ignoring the slight scratchiness in his own throat. "Do you think you could eat something?"

She appeared to give this some thought before a violent coughing fit forced her to sit up in bed to catch her breath. Rubbing her back gently until it passed, he noticed how the action caused his arms to ache, and that sitting up next to her had caused his head to start throbbing some.

Finally, as the fit passed, she nodded slightly, "I'm thirsty."

Helping her out of bed, he noticed that she was still quite unsteady on her feet. As they slowly progressed toward the kitchen, he couldn't help but notice how laboured her breathing was. They were both grateful to finally reach the kitchen. As Beckett plopped down into the chair, her body was shaken by another fit of dry coughs. Castle quickly poured her a glass of water and, placing it on the table next to some more Tylenol, went to the living to retrieve the throw for her.

After making some toast for the both of them, which he wolfed down rapidly while she pecked away at hers, his phone rang from his pocket.

"Castle"

"Hey there, how's she doing this morning?"

"Good morning, Lanie," he smiled at Beckett, catching her surprised look, "why don't you ask her yourself?" he asked passing the phone over to the detective who had now spent more time ripping her toast into pieces than actually eating it.

Taking the phone from his hand while leveling a substantially weakened glare in his direction for calling her friend behind her back; "He's overreacting, Lanie," she rasped into the phone, trying her hardest to sound healthy for her friend, though her efforts were severely undermined by another coughing fit.

"Uh huh," Lanie replied sarcastically, "now drop the bull and tell me how you're really feeling so that we can actually get you better. And don't you dare get mad at that gorgeous man watching over you, we should all be so lucky!"

Sighing in defeat, she recited her long list of aches, pains and other sources of flu related misery, Castle hanging on to her every word. If she hadn't felt like shit, she was sure she would have been annoyed at the worry she saw in his eyes. Nodding quietly into the phone, she mumbled a thank you before handing it back over to Castle.

Taking the phone from her, he realised that the call was still connected and raised the phone to his ear. "So when are you coming over?" he asked, levelling a look across the table, daring Beckett to protest. To his surprise, she said nothing, but continued to tear at her breakfast.

"How are you feeling, Castle?" she asked, catching him off-guard.

"Uh…I feel fine. A bit of a headache, I guess, and I'm a little achy, but I'm sure it's just from dealing with such a difficult patient" he smirked and was rewarded with a glare from the 'difficult patient' in question.

"Listen Castle, a body dropped this morning and they need me at the morgue, so I won't be able to come over until later this afternoon. Will you be alright to take care of her until then?"

"Yeah, sure. What do you need me to do?"

"Make sure that you keep her temperature down and that both of you are drinking plenty of water."

Knowing it was useless to argue with the ME over her assumption that he too was sick, he nodded his assent and wishing her luck with the body, hung up the phone, but not before asking her to swing by the loft to pick up an overnight bag that he would have Alexis throw together for him.

"Hey, Castle?" he looked up at his companion who was now watching him with an odd look on her face.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you….for…you know…"

"Hey," he said, laying his hand on her shoulder gently, "you have nothing to thank me for."

They held each other's gaze for a few seconds until they were once again interrupted by another coughing fit.

"Castle?"

"Hmmmm?"

"I think I'd really like to have a bath."

His eyes lit up wickedly. "Why detective," he waggled his eyebrows, "I thought you'd never ask!"

Getting up from his chair quickly to escape the piece of toast that was thrown at his head, he made his way back down the hall to run a bath. Once it was ready, he returned to the kitchen to fetch her, finding her already half way down the hallway, sagging heavily against the wall for support. Sighing at her stubbornness, he helped into the bathroom and sat her down on the toilet seat next to the tub. Before leaving her to her privacy,however, he couldn't help but quip one last time, "Are you sure you don't need any help getting those clothes off?"

"You wish," she rasped at him between coughs, smirking as best she could, given her condition.

After watching Castle leave and close the door, she began to undress and get into the tub – the normally simply task rendered slow and difficult by the bouts of coughing and the intense dizziness. She was soon rewarded, however, with the warmth of the water, which helped to ease some of her aches and loosened the congestion in her chest and face.

She could hear Castle on the phone on the other side of the door, and though she couldn't make out the words, assumed that he was getting Alexis to prepare an overnight bag for him. She knew that she should be annoyed, at the very least, by his invasion of her home, but, to her own surprise, found herself not only pleased by his presence, but relieved that she wasn't actually alone.

Just as she was about to close her eyes, however, the bathroom door slammed open revealing a decidedly green looking Castle making a beeline for the toilet. Before she had even fully gotten over the shock of the sudden intrusion, she could hear his stomach liberating his breakfast with astonishing force. Without even thinking, she stood up from the hot water on wobbly legs, grabbed the fluffy robe from the hook next to the tub, and wrapping it around herself, found herself seated on the ground beside his hunched and heaving figure, rubbing his back gently.

Once his stomach seemed content for the moment, he sat back from the toilet onto the ground, though still resting his head on the edge of the toilet seat, his body momentarily weakened by the violence of the retching. He realised then that he hadn't hung up the phone with Alexis yet and could still hear her concerned yelling through the phone. Raising the phone to his ear, he assured her that he was fine, that it was probably just something that he ate, and that no, she shouldn't come over herself since they were both sick and contagious. After promising her that he would keep her posted, he hung up and dropped the phone onto the floor beside his leg.

Turning his head to look at Beckett for the first time since bursting into the room, he found himself a little disappointed to see that she was decent, but relieved that she was not aiming her gun at him.

Smiling ruefully though weakly, he mutters "it must have been something I ate."

Leveling a look at him that clearly showed that she didn't believe him, she found herself filled with regret. "God Castle," she whispers, "I'm so sorry I got you sick."

Reaching over to the bathroom cupboard behind her, she grabbed two bottles of water and the bottle of Tylenol that she kept stashed there for when she typically came home from the gym. Opening one of the bottles, she passed it to him to rinse his mouth out and to help replenish some of his recently lost fluids. Raising her hand to his forehead confirmed that he was now also burning up, despite his protests that he's just fine. Getting up, albeit shakily, from the ground, he held a hand out to her to help her back to the bedroom.

Unfortunately, even his best intentions were not stronger than his body's demands, and he found himself turning back on his heel, leaving Beckett leaning heavily against the wall, barely making it to the toilet before round two wracked his body with heaves.

Still leaning against the wall, Beckett slowly made her way back to the bathroom to make sure he was ok. Her concern mounts as she is greeted by the sight of the man that she normally considers to be unstoppable, leaning over the toilet, his body being ravaged by dry heaves. Sitting back down beside him, she is surprised when he turns to face her and the first words he utters are an apology.

"I'm supposed to be taking care of you," he mutters, his face pale, as she just stares at him, her eyes wide in disbelief.

Despite his own violent illness, Castle can see her shivering in her robe, even though the bathroom is not particularly cold. Raising his head up from the toilet seat he tries to tell her that she needs to get back in bed, though he knows that she'll likely refuse. She doesn't disappoint.

"It's my fault", she wheezes softly, "I'm not going to leave you alone."

"You're too sick to stay here with me," he protests, his voice hoarse. He is satisfied when he sees her stand up slowly and make her way down the hallway, still holding herself up against the wall. As soon as she is out of sight, he allows himself a moment to curl up on the floor, clutching his stomach.

He opens his eyes several minutes later from his new position on the floor in order to identify the strange noises coming from the hall. What he sees stuns him completely – there was Katherine Beckett, on all fours, still in her robe, weakly and slowly dragging the blanket from the bed, complete with pillows on top, into the bathroom. Even through his own misery, he can see how the effort has cost her; her face is ashen, and she is wheezing badly, trying desperately to suck in as much air into her congested lungs as she can without sparking another bout of coughing.

"What are you doing?" he groans out miserably.

"You thought…you won….but I showed you…" she nearly whispers between shallow breathes, a small smile gracing her pale, drawn face.

Whatever he was about to say in protest to her actions would never be known as his stomach once again let its discontent be known. Bolting upright and clutching the toilet bowl for dear life, Castle found himself heaving until he was sure his very stomach was attempting to make an escape. Just as he found himself wishing for death, he felt a gentle hand rubbing soothing, though admittedly shaky, circles on his back, and realising that she had done this during every bout, couldn't help but be amazed by the extraordinary compassion in this woman, who could barely even breath, let alone walk from one end of her apartment to the other.

Feeling that his stomach was satisfied with the amount of torture it had inflicted upon him for the time being, he raised his head from the toilet seat to find her sitting off to his side, leaning against the sink cupboards with a pillow behind her back, wrapped in part of the massive blanket, still rubbing his back.

"Are you ok," she asked quietly.

"Yeah," he ground out from clenched teeth, "I think that's probably it for now. I mean, there can't possibly be anything left, right?"

The pitiful look he threw her way would've made her smile under normal circumstances. Today, however, she just felt commiseration. With the other pillow on her lap, she guided his head down so that he too could rest and be covered by parts of the blanket. _At least until the next bout_, they both thought to themselves.

Both exhausted, Beckett, though still coughing and sniffling, found the sitting position she was in to be helpful for her breathing, and Castle, still shaking with sweats and chills from the fever and the violence of his own illness, found some comfort from the extraordinary woman whose lap he was resting on. Together, they both gave way to an exhausted slumber.

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There were a number of things that Dr. Lanie Parish, armed with mask and gloves, expected to find when she entered Beckett's apartment at the end of her unexpectedly long shift: her friend asleep in bed, Castle either puttering around the apartment or camped out in front of the TV or writing at the computer. Much to her shock, she found none of these things, and while she liked to consider herself to be generally unflappable, what she did find left her completely stunned.

After entering a disturbingly quiet apartment, Lanie finally found the two of them, with no small amount of searching, curled up together on the floor of the bathroom, amidst an ad hoc pile of blankets and pillows, which, based on the evidence from the master bedroom, had been tugged off the bed and dragged into the bathroom with little care for the mess left behind. She was gratified to see that, despite the less than comfortable position the two adults where undoubtedly going to regret, they had at least had the presence of mind to have bottles of water with them to stay hydrated, as she had commanded Castle to ensure over the phone. Staring down at the two, who were still out cold and unaware of her presence, Lanie found herself nearly at a loss for words.

"Just what am I going to do with the two of you?" she sighed.

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**WOW! That was a long one. Please keep those wonderful reviews coming! They really are the bread and butter of what makes writing so great :)**

**(especially since doesn't seem to be recording ANY of my story stats other than reviews - so without your wonderful words, I have no idea if anyone's even reading! :o)**

**Chapter 4 should be up in a few days - might take a little longer since I technically posted it with this chapter and now I have to start a whole new one! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**In what is undoubtedly some form of twisted karmic retribution by the universe for being so mean to our delightful duo, it would seem that I am officially sick. **

**With the flu. **

**For realz.**

**So having coming to terms with the fact that by tomorrow morning I will likely be banging on death's door with both fists, begging to be let in, I decided to try and polish up this chapter and post for all of you kind, healthy people tonight, so as to tide you over until the universe has decided that I have suffered enough for my sins.  
**

**Normally I wouldn't bother making excuses for my writing, but in this case:**

**All typos, nonsensical sentences, dangling participles, grammatical mistakes and undeniably poorer quality of this chapter are to be blamed on my stuffy head, sore throat, treacherous stomach, and chills.**

**disclaimer: Seriously? I'm sick, I think I'm allowed to play with them for a bit, don't you?  
**

**Chapter 4:**

_After entering a disturbingly quiet apartment, Lanie finally found the two of them, with no small amount of searching, curled up together on the floor of the bathroom, amidst an ad hoc pile of blankets and pillows, which, based on the evidence from the master bedroom, had been tugged off the bed and dragged into the bathroom with little care for the mess left behind. She was gratified to see that, despite the less than comfortable position the two adults where undoubtedly going to regret, they had at least had the presence of mind to have bottles of water with them to stay hydrated, as she had commanded Castle to ensure over the phone. Staring down at the two, who were still out cold and unaware of her presence, Lanie found herself nearly at a loss for words._

_"Just what am I going to do with the two of you?" she sighed._

_

* * *

_

After getting over her initial shock, Lanie returned to the living room to bring the overnight bag that she had picked up from Alexis on her way over. Thinking back on it, she was glad that she had stopped over, or else she was sure that she would have been far more confused at what had greeted her than she actually had been. She just wished that when Alexis had anxiously asked her for an update on her father, that she had been a bit more specific about _how _sick her dad was. Fortunately, she was sure she had some sort of anti-emetic in her bag, she just hoped that it would help. Knowing that she would have to make-do with what she had, Lanie began to assess the task she had ahead of her with her two 'patients'.

Immediately, she was faced with a problem; given her own stature, there wasn't a chance in the world that she could pick up and move Kate, let alone Castle, who likely weighed at least twice as much as her. The doctor in her struggled to reconcile the conflicting needs of the two: they could not remain on the bathroom floor, but they needed as much sleep as possible, and she was sure that neither of them had gotten near the amount of rest that they needed. So her choice was either to wake them, or to call in reinforcements.

Grinning at the thought of the look on Javier's face when met with the sight of those two on the floor, Lanie realised that once healthy, one, the other, or both of them would be out for her blood. Not one to let a golden opportunity pass, however, she was sure to snap a picture on her cell phone of the delightful duo – purely for medical reasons, of course.

Sighing, she knew that she would have to wake them. They likely needed to drink more anyways, _and_ they most certainly needed medication to get their fevers under control. Trying to decide which of the two would be the most pliable, she chose to wake Castle up first.

As soon as she touched his shoulder to gently shake him awake his eyes popped open and he lifted his head rapidly , grunting in confusion.

"Huh? Wha?...Kate!"

Hearing her name, Kate too startled awake, looking around the small room in confusion. Eventually both of their eyes landed on the ME, sitting back on her heels, trying to hide her smirk of amusement and failing miserably.

"Well good morning to you too, you darling rays of sunshine," she chirped out sarcastically.

"Lanie?" Beckett asked, still confused, "why are you in my bathroom?"

"You know, it's funny," she replied, "I was going to ask the two of you the same thing."

Looking down at the man who's head still rested in her lap for the first time, Beckett's eyes widened, remembering the last few hours. Running her fingers through his hair, she leaned down to ask him how he was feeling.

The surprise that Lanie felt at seeing her friend show such unabashed intimacy in her presence, with a man that she had yet to admit aloud that she loved, came second only to her concern when Castle's answer to that question came in the form of a new volley of heaves, forcing him to sit up rapidly and clutch the sides of the toilet. It was at this point that she realised that she was going to have to deal with her patients separately, and chose to get her friend back into bed first, before coming back to deal with who she was starting to recognize as her more troublesome patient. _That doesn't mean you're not going to have a fight on your hands with Kate though_, she thought ruefully.

After making sure that Castle hadn't liberated his stomach along with its contents, she turned to her friend, who was still holding his hand.

"Alright Chica, this is how its gonna be," she stated in a tone that brooked no argument, "you—" she looked her straight in the eyes, "are going to bed—"

"But—"

"Uh uh," Lanie cut off her hoarse protest, "to bed. Now." She stood up and started to help Kate to stand. As they teetered slowly out of the bathroom, their movements hindered not only by Kate's dizziness and weakness, but also by her unwillingness to leave Castle alone, Lanie turned back to the man who was still crouched pitifully over the toilet bowl, "I'll be right back for you Castle, so you better reach some sort of agreement with your stomach before I get back," she smiled.

"I'll see what I can do," he muttered weakly, not even lifting his head up from the toilet seat.

After getting the detective into bed, Lanie quickly returned to the bathroom to get the pillows and blankets to cover her shivering form and to make sure that Castle was still alive.

"Stay," she ordered, sending a meaningful glare over her mask on the way out the door.

Once she got Kate settled, _with _blankets and pillows, checked her temperature and other vitals, made sure that she drank an entire glass of water and took the medicine that she gave her, she started back towards the man in the bathroom, from whom they had not heard anything for some time.

"Lanie?"

"Yeah?" Lanie turned back to look at her friend sitting in bed propped against the pillows.

"Make sure he's ok," she pleaded softly.

"You know I will, girl," she smiled sympathetically. "I'll have him back in your bed in no time," she tossed out over her shoulder, happy to see the eye roll that she had been hoping for.

Returning to the bathroom, she grabbed a facecloth from the counter, wet it and approached Castle, who hadn't moved from the position he had staked out at the toilet. Sitting down beside him, she got him to raise his head so she could run the cloth over his face.

"Kate?" he asked, looking at her with eyes that were glazed over with fever.

"Castle," she admonished smiling, "you're sick as a dog in here! You need to worry about your own self for a couple of minutes. I'll get you back in her bed soon enough," she winked at him, happy to see him make the effort to grin back. "Now you need to tell me what's happening with you so I can get you back to taking care of her. Deals?"

Nodding in response, he slowly laid out the progression of his own illness, answering the ME's questions as best he could whenever she interjected. Seemingly satisfied with his answers she told him " I think you've definitely got the same flu as Kate. Unfortunately for you, yours presented with this delightful little addition."

"Tell me about it," he muttered.

"Alright Castle, I need you to take this, it'll settle your stomach," she handed him a little pill from a foil package.

"Won't stay," he whined a little.

"This one will, I promise," she spoke, as if to a child, "just let it dissolve on your tongue."

Doing as he was told, Lanie got to work on getting him to change his clothes and get into bed before the medication made him too drowsy to do it himself. Leaving him to change, she went to fetch the small plastic garbage can that Kate left in the kitchen. _Just in case_, she thought.

Having left it by the bed and having checked on her other patient, who thankfully seemed to be sleeping again, she returned to the bathroom to find a pale faced Castle, now in a t-shirt and sweatpants, slowly working his way down the hall, a bottle of water clutched in his hand. Helping him into bed, she went through the same drill with him as she did before, indicating the location of the garbage can should he need it. Seeing him start to drift off to sleep, she left the two to their drug-induced stupors and returned to the living room, pulling off her gloves and mask and reaching for her phone.

"'Javier? We're gonna have to postpone our evening," she smiled into the phone, "But don't you worry – I have a picture for you that will more than make up for it..."

* * *

No sooner had Lanie left the room than both Castle and Beckett rolled over to face each other in the bed, looking into each others' bleary eyes.

"How many do you think she took?" she whispered hoarsely.

"At least a couple thousand," he whispered back, smiling weakly. "Are you ok with that?" he asked, concerned that she was going to be embarrassed now and push him away.

Shaking her head no as a cough temporarily prevented her from answering.

She reached up and smoothed his hair back off his face once the fit had passed. "Besides," she wheezed softly, a mischievous glint in her eye despite her illness, "I caught her and Esposito making out in the morgue last week."

"I never realised what a devious woman you are, Detective," he smiled, though his eyes were beginning to droop closed against his will as the drugs took hold.

"I learned from the best," she whispered, smiling. Seeing him finally succumb to the medication, she moved herself closer, and, resting her head against his chest, finally succumbed to sleep herself.

* * *

**Ok, so I'll be honest, I'm not very happy with this chapter. I consider it the 'necessary evil' chapter, where not much happens, though it's all necessary set-up for upcoming chapters. Chapter 5 will be the road to recovery, however, and with that – more Casketty goodness! :)**

**As for my lovely reviewers – shout outs to:**

**All of you who loved the whole 'dragging the blankets into the bathroom scene' – it was my favourite scene to write! I'm glad you all enjoyed it too!**

**Keal: Just for you! Thanks for the idea ;)**

**AND a huge THANK YOU for those of your who have reviewed on every chapter! That means you Becket NYPD, youdude, gmay, ilovemyjeep, Bella Paige88, Lunotto, knittingeek, m, and Tols!**

**And for all of you who put me on your story alert – y'all just obliterated my record! There are more of you for this one story than for all my other stories put together! I nearly fainted when it hit 100!**

**Please keep the reviews coming! I'll take the bad with the good so send me your feedback and I'm open to suggestions for upcoming chapters :).**

**Now if you'll excuse me...**

**::coughs:: ::sneezes::  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**THANK YOU EVERYONE for your get well wishes! Thank you also for your patience in waiting for this chapter. Unfortunately, I was WAY sicker for WAY longer than I had anticipated – so between that and then having to play catch-up all week for the stuff I missed at the beginning of the week, this chapter got pushed to the backburner a little.**

**That said – Chapter 6 shouldn't be too long in coming, as a reward for your patience, as it is partially finished.**

**I'm just grateful that the brain's not pure mush anymore, just a little squishy around the edges (unlike this chapter, which IS pure mush!)**

**Imma gonna apologize now if the characters seem OOC in this chapter – in Castle's case, I think it's justified – but you'll see. I'm not sure that I captured Beckett and Lanie as well here – a week out of it and I've lost my touch! Damn you flu! *shakes fist in the air***

**Disclaimer: One day I'm just going to outright claim that I own them and see how long, if ever, until I get a 'Cease and Desist' letter in the mail.**

**

* * *

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**Chapter 5**

As Katherine Beckett felt herself slowly drifting back to consciousness, she slowly became aware of a few things: that her bladder was on the verge of exploding, that her head felt like it was stuffed full of cotton, that every muscle in her body ached, and finally, that her pillow seemed to be moving of its own volition and was far, _far_ warmer than it should have been.

Forcing her eyes open as her bladder continued to make its increasing urgency known, she found herself staring up at the sleeping face of one Richard Castle. Remembering the events of the previous day, she smiled slightly, forcing her aching arm up to feel his forehead, wincing at the heat that was being generated by it.

Realising that if she didn't start dragging her unwilling limbs towards the bathroom that they were going to have bigger problems and that she would be experiencing far more embarrassment over their predicament than she was sure was already coming her way once they were both feeling better, she began the arduous trek down the hall to the bathroom, leaning heavily against the wall in order to maintain her balance.

After dealing with her most pressing issues, she began to make her way back to the bedroom, noting that it was still dark out. Stopping briefly at the living room, she smiled a little at the figure of Lanie sprawled inelegantly across the couch, arms and legs akimbo, snoring softly. Turning to continue her journey back to the bedroom, a sudden coughing fit stops her in her tracks, forcing her to gasp for breath.

"And just what do you think you're doing out of bed?"

_Busted._

"I had to pee," she answers, whining, surprised as much at the hoarseness of her voice as she is at the plaintive whine it comes out as, far too reminiscent of her current bedmate and co-sufferer. "What time is it?"

Sighing as she grabbed for her cellphone on the coffee table, "It's just 11.30", Lanie replies, starting to get up and walk towards her friend who is slowly drifting down towards the floor, sliding down the wall. Sitting next to her, she brushes her hand against the sick woman's forehead, asking her how she's feeling.

The look in Lanie's eyes stops her from simply stating the 'I'm fine' that is her usual answer to such a question. Instead she opts for the honest answer, explaining that her chest hurts from the coughing. Getting up and returning to her bag, Lanie brings back a bottle of red syrup and a medicine cup. Pouring some of the viscous syrup into the cup, she hands it to her friend expectantly.

"What is it?" she asks, her nose affronted by the smell, refusing to take the proffered cup.

"It'll make you feel better, trust me."

Eyeing the little cup dubiously, she takes it from her friend and tries to down it fast enough to avoid tasting it.

_No such luck_.

"Oh god, Lanie!" she gasps, forcing herself not to spit the vile syrup back out. "What the hell is this?"

"You probably don't want to know, but trust me – it'll help your cough," she chuckles at her friend's contorted face. "Now let's get you back into bed before that stuff hits you and I have to leave you sleeping on the hallway floor."

Just as they got to their feet in the hallway, they both stopped in their tracks hearing another voice talking. Following the voice, they find Castle sitting up in bed clutching the bucket and – _conversing with it?_

"Lanie?" Kate turns to her friend, her eyes showing both concern and amusement at the man sitting in her bed, who is indeed having a very lively conversation with the bucket clutched in his hands. "Did he just call the bucket 'Alexis'?"

Laughing out loud, Lanie just shakes her head, completely at a loss for words. The laughter, however, is enough to attract Castle's attention, causing him to swivel around quickly, nearly throwing himself from the bed.

"Lanie!" he rasps gleefully, "when did Alexis get here? Did you let her in?"

Seeing the concern in her friend's eyes, she turns to Kate and answers softly under her breath, "the drugs I gave him to settle his stomach can, on very rare occasions, cause hallucinations. Go figure that Castle would be one of those rare occasions."

Both women approached the bed, rolling their eyes, neither even trying to wipe the amused smirks off of their faces. After getting Kate into the bed beside Castle who had turned back to his fairly in-depth conversation with the Alexis-bucket, Lanie decided to take advantage of his wakefulness to get more Tylenol and water into his system.

As Lanie left the room, Kate finds herself putting her hand on Castle's shoulder to try and get his attention back from the bucket. She finds that as amusing as the whole situation is, it was still a little disturbing. Feeling her hand on his shoulder, he looks up at her for the first time, an odd look on his face, his eyes faintly glazed with fever and the effects of the drugs.

"What?" she asks softly.

Letting go of the bucket in his lap for the first time, he reaches his hands out to cup her face, and she finds herself shivering at the touch. That is, until he starts to squish and mould her cheeks as though they were made of Play-doh.

"Castle!" she hisses, grabbing his hands in both of hers.

He stops suddenly, sobering a little, his eyes taking on the quality of a lost little boy, and she feels bad for being so harsh with him.

"Sorry," he whispers back, his eyes wide with sincerity, "but your face just looked so squishy."

Trying to aim a glare in his direction, she can't help but roll her eyes and smile a little.

"Before you kill him, just remember it's the drugs talking," she hears the laughing voice of her friend come from the doorway behind her.

Hearing Lanie's voice, Castle's eyes light up and he turns toward her. "Lanie! Your face," he coos marvelled, "it sparkles."

"Great," Kate mutters, "I get to be squishy and you get to sparkle?"

"I'm the bringer of the drugs," Lanie shrugs with a mirthful smile, "I bring the sparkle" she winks, approaching the man in question with the water and Tylenol.

Getting him to drink it down, she turns to her friend smiling broadly, "don't you worry though, with that cough syrup I gave you, things are like to get a little sparkly for you too."

"Do you hear that, Kate? We'll chase double rainbows together!" Castle marvels, lying back down in the bed, the Alexis-bucket now lying forgotten on the floor.

Wanting to argue with him, but finding herself struggling to keep her eyes open, her brain fogging over under the influence of her own medication, she merely lies back down on her own side of the bed. Taking her cue to leave, Lanie doesn't miss seeing Castle roll over and nearly tackle the woman next to him, pulling her flush against his body with a squeak of surprise.

Hearing the snicker of amusement from the ME's departing form, Kate weakly tries to free herself from Castle's surprisingly strong grip. "I can't breathe, Castle," she whispers, taking shallow breaths.

"Oh sorry!" he chirps, entirely too happy for someone in his condition. _Or someone in mine_, she thinks to herself ruefully.

Ultimately, he loosens his arms enough for her to breathe, but she quickly realises that expecting him to outright let her go is not going to be an option that night. Thinking back on the care that he had shown her throughout her illness, _and his_, she thinks, she finds that she's not all that concerned with pushing him away. Together they fall back asleep.

* * *

**I would like to send a very special thank you once again to my repeat-reviewers – I count on you guys for your wonderful words with every new chapter. You have no idea how, as I thought my head was going to explode into a fiery ball of snot, how much better reading all your wonderful reviews and get well wishes made me feel. I hope that this chapter lived up to your expectations.**

**For all my new reviewers – you too rock my socks off! Keep it coming! It's all of you guys together that give me the kick in the pants I need to actually continue writing. I couldn't do it without you.**

***Big flu-virusy hugs all around***

**=)**

**ps. The anti-emetic that Lanie gives Castle is called 'ondansetron' and its a real thing. The hallucinations are a VERY uncommon side effect - but seriously - that stuff'll make you feel like a million bucks!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello all of my wonderful readers and reviewers! As promised and to make up for my unexpected illness-related writing delay, as well as the unforgivable brevity of the last chapter, here it is, in record time: Chapter 6!**

**Now there have been some questions about timeline, and I'll be honest, when I first started this thing, I hadn't really intended for it to grow quite as much as it has – which means, I hadn't really thought about a timeframe. I was reading a fic recently (and for the life of me can't remember who wrote it or what it was called – I'm so sorry!) but it had suggested that Kate and Josh had broken up months before and that she had been lying to Castle about it because of pride – and the idea kinda worked for me (imagine that) – so I've decided to set this fic in that universe – We are between 3X12 and 3X13 – so no spoilers to worry about and neither Josh nor Gina are an issue.**

**Now – onto the fic!**

**Disclaimer: Really? Is it really necessary that I write one of these at the beginning of every chapter? Probably not – but it allows me to put out a little snark with every new chapter, and really, where would I be without my snark? )**

* * *

_Hearing the snicker of amusement from the ME's departing form, Kate weakly tries to free herself from Castle's surprisingly strong grip. "I can't breathe, Castle," she whispers, taking shallow breaths._

"_Oh sorry!" he chirps, entirely too happy for someone in his condition. _Or someone in mine_, she thinks to herself ruefully._

_Ultimately, he loosens his arms enough for her to breathe, but she quickly realises that expecting him to outright let her go is not going to be an option that night. Thinking back on the care that he had shown her throughout her illness, and his, she thinks, she finds that she's not all that concerned with pushing him away. Together they fall back asleep._

**Chapter 6**

When Lanie woke up for the last time the next morning, she was grateful to see that it was because of the sunlight peaking in through the windows of her friend's apartment, and not because one of her rather difficult 'patients' was once again out of bed. Groaning as she rolled over on the less-than-comfortable couch, she reached for her phone on the table to see the time, relieved that, while it wasn't ridiculously early, she wasn't yet late for work.

_Work._

That thought made her flop back onto the couch, groaning. Rubbing her eyes, she felt like she had just worked a triple shift courtesy of the drug-induced hallucinations of the two who _finally_ seemed to be sleeping peacefully in the other room. She had to admit though – the sheer level of entertainment, not to mention the stories she was going to have to share with Esposito and Ryan, very nearly made up for her lack of sleep…almost.

Smiling at the memory of Kate chasing pink bunnies down the hallway at two in the morning, her musings were interrupted by the bunny-chaser herself shuffling into the living room and plopping herself down on the couch, right on top of her legs.

"Jesus, Kate! " she cried out in pain, bolting up and snatching her legs out from underneath her friend's behind, "just because you haven't eaten a decent meal in three days doesn't mean you don't weigh anything."

"You know, Lanie," she said, her voice still hoarse, though considerably stronger than it had been in days, seemingly unaware of her friend's outburst, or her pain for that matter, "I'm feeling a lot better. I think I'm going to head into the precinct later."

Lanie just stared at her friend as though she had grown a second head. "You're joking, right?" she asked flatly, unimpressed that she was going to have to have this conversation three minutes after waking up from what amounted to only a few hours of sleep. _If that_.

Kate just turned to look at her friend as though she didn't know what she was talking about. Seeing that she was going to have a fight on her hands, Lanie decided not to hold back any punches.

"You do realise that you spent most of the night either chasing bunnies down the hallway or building theory with Castle's puke-bucket, right?"

"I did not!"

"Oh yes you did, girl, and I have the video to prove it," Lanie smirked, knowing that she had the upper hand as Kate eyed the ME's cellphone on the table like one would a venomous spider, blushing profusely, her eyes wide. "Besides," she continued, going for the _coup de gr__âce_, "who's going to watch over Castle? I have to go to work in a couple of hours, and I'm _not_ sick."

Seeing Kate's shoulders slump in defeat, she knew that it was a low blow, playing on her friend's guilt for getting Castle sick in the first place, but she couldn't let her friend throw herself back into her gruelling work schedule when she was only just starting to recover from what had been a very bad case of the flu. She was just grateful that between her own precautions, her iron-clad immune system courtesy of her residency days in paediatrics, and the fact that she took _far_ better care of herself than her friend did, that she wasn't likely to get sick herself.

"Can I at least go out and get some food?" she asked sighing, "there's nothing to eat here and I am a little hungry."

"No need," Lanie smiled, relishing in her small victory and nodding towards the kitchen, "do you really think that I would come armed to the teeth with drugs but not bring any food? Really Kate, when did you start to think so little of me?"

Following Lanie into the kitchen, albeit at a significantly slower pace than usual, she was surprised to find that not only was her fridge fully stocked with fresh fruits and vegetables, but on the counter sat an assortment of teas and crackers that would appeal to even the most wretched of flu sufferers.

"Lanie," she started, a little breathless from the walk, "you really shouldn't have—"

"Don't you even start with me," the shorter woman cut her off, "just because you're feelin' all better and shit this morning doesn't mean that you can't accept the help of your friends."

Finding herself at a loss for words at the ME's bluntness, Kate sat herself down at the table while Lanie puttered around the kitchen getting a bagel in the toaster for each of them and putting on the kettle for tea.

"Besides," she continued, waggling her eyebrows a little, "you certainly seemed happy to have Castle around to make you feel better."

"Lanie!"

"What?" she asked, raising an eyebrow, daring the other woman to refute her argument. "Don't you even try to pretend that you don't have feelings for that man in there. You know it. I know it. And by now, most of the 12th knows it. The man just spent three days taking care of your sorry ass, even after he got sick himself. Don't you think it's time that you stopped pretending that things aren't what they are?"

Hanging her head in her hands, shaking her head back in forth a little to clear her thoughts, she struggled to come to terms with her own feelings. She knew that what Lanie had just said was true, she was well past trying to deny it.

_"Of course he makes you feel alive. But eventually you know he's just gonna to let you down."_

_"You have no idea how hard it is to love someone when you know they're gonna break your heart."_

_"So why risk it?"_

_"Cause the heart wants what the heart wants."_

She knew now. She had always known, really. If Castle's actions these last few days couldn't settle the fear that lived in her heart every day since her mother died, nothing ever would.

Lifting her head from her hands, the words of acknowledgment died in her throat seeing Castle slowly stumbling toward the kitchen, his face pale and drawn.

Seeing her friend's change of focus, Lanie quickly turned to see what had caught her eye. "Castle! What are you doing out of bed?" she barked, softening her tone by approaching the man in question and helping him get to the free chair across the table from Kate.

"Something smelled good," he whined plaintively. "I'm hungry."

The look he gave the two women would have worked on anyone else. Unfortunately for him, however, the two women in question were completely impervious to the sad puppy dog eyes and it wasn't long before he was looking down at a package of saltines instead of the delicious smelling bagel that Kate was currently pecking away at on her own plate.

"Suck it up, Castle," Lanie grinned, "or do you really want to spend another day curled up on the bathroom floor?"

Pouting as he tore into one of the saltines, he tried once again to appeal to the ME's sense of compassion. "But Lanie, you could just give another one of those amazing pills and then I could eat a proper breakfast to restore my strength."

"Nuh uh, Castle," she answered him shaking her head, trying to steel herself against the pleading look in his eyes. _Damn he's good at that! s_he thought to herself. _How the hell does Kate stay immune? _Out loud she replied, "if you think I'm spending the night here again putting your butt back into bed every time you feel the need to go chasing double rainbows or calling your puke-bucket 'Alexis', you got another thing coming."

Looking at Beckett who was trying her hardest to hide a grin, she just nodded, "it's true, Castle."

Now it was his turn to plop his head down in his hands, the sudden movement causing his nose to start running uncontrollably. Seeing his predicament, Kate reached back on the kitchen counter to grab the box of tissues, handing him a wad.

Grabbing them gratefully, he blew his nose for what would not be the last time that day. Or that week, for that matter.

"Could we not pass that little tidbit on to Alexis?" he groaned, still sniffling.

Deciding to take pity on the sick man, at least for now, both women exchanged a look and then nodded. Reaching out to touch his hand, Kate waited until she had his attention before speaking. "Speaking of, you should probably call the real Alexis," she smirked a little, though it didn't quite reach her tired eyes.

Nodding and grabbing the saltines and tissues, he slowly made his way back to the bedroom, where his phone lay on the nightstand.

Once he was gone, Kate looked directly at her friend and said, "you're right, Lanie. I owe him the truth. Just, not right now. I don't want this to be because we're sick or because I feel like I either owe him for taking care of me or that I feel guilty because I got him sick too. And I don't want him to think that either."

Sighing, Lanie knew her friend was right. Accepting her answer for the time being, she looked at the clock over the stove and realised that if she didn't get going she was going to be late for work. Despite the interesting night that the trio had just had, she knew that she could leave the two of them to each other's care. Leaving a couple of extra pills for Castle, in case the nausea returned, she left specific instructions with Kate and, once she was as sure as she could be that her friend would actually follow them and take care of herself too, she gathered up her belongings and headed out the door.

"I'll come back and check on the two of you tonight on my way home. Promise me you'll at least try to take it easy."

Nodding at her friend, she closed and locked the door behind her. Left alone, she realised just how tired she was and decided that maybe Lanie had been right and that she should just take it easy. Heading back into the bedroom, she found Castle propped up against a stack of pillows rasping into the phone. Seeing the detective enter the room, he stopped the tirade of whoever was on the other side and handed the phone in her direction.

"It's Alexis," he mumbled by way of explanation, his eyes drifting shut, "she wants to talk to you."

Sitting beside him on the bed, she grabbed the phone from him and lifted it to her ear. "Hi Alexis," she spoke softly, smiling.

"Oh god! Kate!" the teenager began, "are you ok?"

"I'm ok, Alexis," she quickly reassured the girl, "thanks to your dad," she smiled in the direction of the man in question.

"What about my dad?" she asked, anxiously, "he says that he's feeling ok, but I don't really believe him, since you know how men are, and they always try to say they're ok when we all know that they're really not, and you know, if he was really ok then he would just come home, unless you're not really ok, but you said you were ok, and I really wish that I could come over and see you."

Kate Beckett found herself staring mutely at the phone in her hand, trying to make sense of the barrage of worry that the poor girl had just unleashed upon her. Pulling herself together, she decided that the girl deserved the truth, the same as she herself expected from the people she cared about.

"Alexis," she began, "I need you to understand that while your dad and I are sick, we're both going to be ok. Your dad got it a bit worse than me, since he spent yesterday throwing up, but we've got him on some medication and he's been doing a lot better. Dr. Parish was here all night taking care of both of us, and she made sure that we have food and medication. I promise you, Alexis, I won't let anything happen to your dad."

The teenager, sighing with relief and trying to cover a sniffle, simply answered, "thank you, Kate. Please let me know what's happening. I just want my dad back."

"I know you do," she smiled, glad that she had allayed the girl's anxiety for the time being. "Don't you worry though, he'll be back to his normal, annoying and overbearing self in no time—"

"Hey!"

"Sorry Castle, it's true and you know it," she smirked at the man next her who was trying his best to level a glare of outrage in her direction and failing miserably.

Hearing her dad trying to stick up for himself, albeit pathetically, Alexis smiled for the first time that day and hung up the phone.

"She's worried about her dad," Kate said, putting the phone back down on the nightstand. "You can't really blame her. Not knowing is always the worst part."

Meeting his gaze, she saw understanding and gratitude in his eyes. Surprised at just how much they could communicate without saying a word, she found herself shuffling closer to him under the blankets. Wrapping his arms around her and gathering her against his chest, he stared out the bedroom window, his mind wandering.

"Castle?"

"Hmmmm?"

"Don't you dare snot in my hair."

* * *

**SIDENOTE**

**Okay, lest I be judged too harshly should this chapter seem a little disjointed – you should all know that as I was in the middle of writing, a GIANT bug of unknown origin (thankfully not a cockroach, I would've moved out) started crawling across my floor. Suffice it to say, all the beautiful plans I had for this chapter went straight out the window as I sat on my couch staring in sheer horror at that **_**thing**_** as it continued to crawl across **_**my**_** floor! Like it **_**belonged**_** there! The nerve!**

**Frozen in place in disgust and horror, I tracked its movements until, thankfully, my boyfriend came home and got rid of it for me (and by got rid of it, I mean he trapped it one of my drinking glasses, which will never be drunk from again, and released outside so it can procreate, raise an army, and return en masse to invade my apartment).**

**END OF SIDENOTE**

* * *

**A HUGE thank you to all my reviewers – you are my heart and soul! A very special thank you goes out to sarahlovesa – you were my 100****th**** reviewer! And truly, thank you for your wonderful words!**

**Another big thank you goes out to No Mere Mortal – I look forward to hearing more from you!**

**And for all of you who picked up the less-than-subtle double rainbow reference – I realise that I let you all down – after I posted, I noticed I had the perfect opportunity to put a 'shiny' reference in too and I missed it! *hangs head in shame***

**Again, to those of you who have been with me since the start – you are a growing list and I heart you all for your support and your continued reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello all of my faithful readers! At long last, here it is, Chapter 7! Thank you so much for your patience - I had a lot of trouble with this chapter - it fought me every step of the way and I couldn't bring myself to give you guys anything but my absolute best!**

**But it's pouring rain here in lovely La-la Land (that's Los Angeles for those who don't know) - and, while I realise that my family is all being turned into popsicles back home in Northern Ontario (seriously, it's -29C in my hometown today) - I'm being whiny and refusing to leave my apartment. So how better to spend the day than to write? That's what I thought. :)**

**So please enjoy this coffee induced (seriously, got a Tassimo for Christmas and have since become the most caffeinated person in the world!) Chapter - it is, by necessity, a little heavier than some of the previous chapters, but I've tried to give you guys at least a good chuckle here and there - along with with a whole lot of 'AWWWWWWWS!'**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: If I were to kidnap Nathan Fillion and make him my personal slave, would I be able to claim at least partial ownership? Wait, kidnapping's illegal! Who knew! ;)**

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* * *

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**Chapter 7:**

When Kate Beckett woke up several hours later, she found herself still securely held by the arms of the man who had dropped everything to take care of her during her illness. Looking up at his face, she was pleased to see that, though he was still far paler than she had ever seen him, he looked to be sleeping peacefully.

Shifting as little as possible in his arms so as not to wake him, she pressed her forehead to his, relief flooding through her that he was no longer burning up; his fever seemed at last to have broken.

Feeling better than she herself had in days, though still feeling exhausted despite having just woken up, Kate sighed, knowing what had to come next. She knew that he had to go home. He needed to see his daughter. More importantly, his daughter needed her father more than Kate needed her caretaker.

As if somehow aware of her thoughts, even in his sleep, she felt the man in question tighten his arms around her, pulling her impossibly closer to his larger frame, tucking her head under his chin and burrowing his nose in her hair, tangling their legs together.

Feeling more at peace with herself than she had ever felt in her life, she decided to enjoy her remaining time in this man's arms before doing what she knew that she had to do.

* * *

The next time she woke up it was to a small hand on her shoulder, gently shaking her awake. Still feeling both of Castle's arms wrapped around her frame, she turned her head to see Lanie's knowing smirk.

"Hi Lanie," she whispered blushing, trying not to wake up her sleeping partner.

Deciding to have a small amount of mercy on her friend, _for now_, the ME chose to assess the health status of the two first. _The teasing could come later_, she thought, her eyes alight with mischief, thinking of Javier's reaction to the photo of the two in question curled up on the bathroom floor.

In fairness, she was thrilled that her best friend had finally let her defenses down enough to _let_ Castle see her as anything but the strong and indomitable woman that she was, let alone to even take care of her. She also knew, however, that too much teasing would just result in Kate building her walls back up again and shutting Castle out again – _and we can't have that._

"How has he been?" she whispered instead, nodding her head in the direction of the man in question, brushing her fingers gently across both of their foreheads.

"_He's_ feeling a lot better," the man in question rumbled, surprising them both. "Your hands are freezing, Dr. Parish," he continued, blinking his eyes in an attempt to fully wake up.

"Castle?" Beckett asked, craning her head to look up at his face, surprised when his arms held on to her even tighter, despite the presence of her friend, "how long have you been awake?"

Feeling like she was intruding on an intimate moment, Lanie told the two that she would let them pull themselves together and would wait for them in the kitchen with some dinner.

Once her friend had left the room, Kate sighed, knowing that it was time.

"Kate?" he asked, feeling the woman in his eyes sigh and try to burrow into his warm body a little more, "what's wrong?"

"You have to go home, Castle."

She felt him stiffen against her and withdraw from her as though she'd physically struck him. Seeing the hurt and confusion in his eyes, she realised how hard her statement had sounded and she grabbed at his closest hand to stop him from withdrawing further.

"Listen to me," she continued, touching her free hand to his jaw, forcing him to look her in the eyes, "These last few days, I don't know what I would have done without you here. I'm not very good at letting people in," he snorted at that understatement, "but Alexis needs you more than I do right now. What kind of person would I be if I kept you from her for my own selfish reasons," she begged him to understand. Feeling him relax against her and seeing his eyes soften with understand, she realised how tense she herself had become, and forced her own body to relax against his.

"So you're not blocking me out?"

She was saddened by the fear that she heard in his voice and realised that she had never given him any indication that she would ever fully let him in. Looking back on their relationship she knew that every time she had started to let him in her demons would resurface and she would push him back, rebuilding and reinforcing her walls after every encounter. She felt ashamed.

"I don't deserve you, Castle," she answered truthfully, "but I'm not pushing you away if you'll still have me. I can't promise you that I won't push back tomorrow, or next week," she smiled sadly, knowing that, while her defenses were down now, that her demons were not just going to go away, "but if you think that you can –"

She was suddenly cut off by the feel of his lips pressed against hers. She found herself responding to the tender kiss, pouring everything in her heart and soul into it that she couldn't put into words. They were both gasping for air when he pulled back, and she was surprised to find his eyes bright with unshed tears.

"Geez, Castle," she smirked a little to break the tension, "I always knew you were going to be the girl."

"You're a fine one to talk," he replied, reaching down to wipe the tears she hadn't even know she'd shed from her pale cheeks, smiling wide like a kid on Christmas morning.

Swatting him gently on the chest, she pushed herself back, moving to get out of the bed. Standing up too quickly she realised too late that, despite feeling much better, she was still not quite back to 100%, and she found herself in a crumpled mess on the floor trying to figure out what the hell had just happened.

"Kate!" she heard Castle rasp out in concern, his own sudden movements sparking a coughing fit and causing him to lurch further over the edge of the bed than he had originally planned. Unfortunately for him, however, his feet were still tangled up in the sheets and he found himself lying half off the bed, half on, staring down at the detective's sprawled out form.

Realising the ridiculousness of their situation, she found herself suddenly laughing uncontrollably, still sprawled on the floor. Just like her illness, Castle couldn't help but be infected by her unstoppable fit of laughter and found himself joining in between coughs.

The commotion in the bedroom was enough to bring Lanie back in. The scene in front of her beginning to make her question her own medical expertise since she was sure neither of them should have still been hallucinating from the medication she had given them the day before.

"If either of you even so much as reaches for that puke-bucket, I'm euthanizing both of you."

The ME's words only served to bring on a fresh volley of gasping laughter from her friend who was still curled up on the floor, and the man who was tangled up in the blankets half hanging out of the bed beside her.

* * *

Once the two had finally pulled themselves together and picked themselves up off the floor, albeit at a much slower pace this time, they explained to Lanie that Castle would have to go home after dinner, since Alexis was sure to be beside herself worrying about her father.

Agreeing with the two, Lanie agreed to drop Castle off at his place after they finished dinner. Seeing Castle eyeing the saltines on the counter with a wary eye, Lanie reluctantly agreed to letting him eat something a little more substantial if he was feeling up to it. Unsurprisingly, he had found himself only able to eat a few bites of the Chinese food that Lanie had brought over before conceding defeat of going back to munching on the saltine crackers, looking dejected.

Finishing their dinner, Lanie went to pack up the car with both her own belongings and Castle's overnight bag before coming back to collect the man in question to bring him home to his daughter.

Taking advantage of their last moment of privacy before he would go home, Castle and Beckett found themselves wrapped in each others' arms standing in the living room.

"Come with me," she heard him whisper next to her ear.

Wanting to more than anything in the world, Beckett knew that she couldn't. "You need to finish getting better," she smiled into his shoulder, "and you need to go spend time with your daughter. I'll see you in a couple of days at the precinct" she promised.

Hearing the door open as Lanie came back in, they reluctantly let each other go, smiling at each other as Castle left with her friend. Once they were gone, Kate flopped down onto her couch, turning on the TV. After about 15 minutes of flipping through the channels, she heard her cell phone buzz on the coffee table. Picking it up she saw that she had a text message. Opening it, she was surprised to see that it was from Alexis.

'Thank you.'

Staring in awe at the simple but profound message, Kate found herself smiling as she replied, 'you're welcome.'

* * *

**FIN**

**That's all folks! They're all healthy (ish) – we all knew this story had to come to an end eventually, sad as it is. I find that for the typical plotless piece of fluff, the max you can usually get away with is 7 chapters. After that it just gets drawn out for nothing, and I feel like an important part of writing is knowing when a story is finished.**

**Now – I might be persuaded to indulge all of you, my wonderful and rabid readers with a sequel. That sequel comes with a small price however: first, if the demand is sufficient, I could be persuaded; second, I could use some ideas to try and get a feel for what it is that **_**y'all**_** want to see in a sequel to this story. I have tons of ideas, but most of them can be stand alones and don't need to follow from this story – I'd like to see what you guys want to see!**

**Now, that said – a huge thank you goes out to all of you who have read, reviewed, and favourited this story; I know I've said this in a bunch of chapters, but seriously – you guys shocked the crap out of me with your response! So much so, that of everything I've ever written, this is the first multi-chapter fic that I have ever finished! And that's entirely because of all of you!**

**So with that in mind, a very special thank you goes out to the following reviewers – I would actually sit and wait for your wonderful words with every chapter:**

**Beckett NYPD; BellaPaige88; Tols; Knittingeek; Ilovemyjeep; NoMereMortal; Kerika; Dee Hensley; Tansypool; Sarahlovesa; Divamercury; Scarletblusssh; Lunotto; Whimorawhy; Gmay; Googie; Youdude; Hopelessromantic0707; GoldenLyric; NewspaperBalloons; Keal; Aquamarine07; Castlefan83; Elysion1987; 9yearoldonasurgarrush**

**If I missed anyone here – I'm so sorry! Don't think I'm not grateful to you too – every last review made my day – even if you only reviewed once, it would just make my day to read all of your wonderful words.**

**Cheers!**


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